Cloak and Dagger
by Cielito
Summary: He, the cloak; She, the dagger. AU Fic John and Teyla younger years.


_**John and Teyla Secret Elf Beya Exchange **_

Category: AU fic

Title: Cloak and Dagger

Recipient: bluejello/miko

Rating: PG

Warnings: Lots of fluffness

Disclaimer: The characters, etc, of SGA don't belong to us. For fun, not profit.

Size: 2,198 words

Summary: He, the cloak, the military man born to lead and follow the raptures of danger, having learned to hide well his feelings, his identity to remain hidden from view. She, the dagger; an ethereal beauty, wise warrior, a princess destined to lead her people, bound by rituals, promises, and a lifetime of commitment to her father; a silent hidden treasure that is both rare and deadly.

**Cloak and Dagger **

She did not turn her calm dark soulful eyes from his gaze. For an instant he stared at her, oblivious of his surroundings, the dancing couples about them. She was even more beautiful than he had imagined--an Athosian Princess-and she wasn't even impressed by him, his expert dancing, and his elegant military clothes.

In fact, she seemed to be making fun of him. Yes, she was...He could feel it. There was a suspicion of a smile playing on her lips, as if she held back some gleeful secret.

It didn't help that the big husky Ronon was staring at them with a smirk on his face, and he was sure that Lorne, Carson, Elizabeth and Zelenka had a bet going, too. And if he was a betting man, the bet was against him.

It was infuriating.

The sound of her voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Lieutenant Sheppard, you are holding me a bit too tight again. I can feel your fingers digging into my back. Are you trying to crush me?"

"Sorry, Ms. Emmagan."  There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment and he felt the tension rise in his belly.

He had waited so long for this moment, he wasn't about to let her slip away from his hands, not without first making sure that she'd want to see him again.

"You dance beautifully, Ms. Emmagan," he whispered, drawing her closer to him as they twirled about the room.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Sheppard. You are an excellent gallant."

Hastily, he relaxed his grip remembering that he'd been holding her too tight for the entire dance.

"Sorry 'bout that." He realized she had noticed his loosened grip and hence his apology.

"I don't mind, but my father is watching us. This is not the city of the Ancestors, this is Athos. Things are...different, here."

"How do you know I'm from the city of the Ancestors? We've just met."

"I know a great deal about you, Lieutenant John Sheppard of Atlantis. You have come from a place far, far away from our galaxy, a place unknown to none in the Pegasus. You've travelled from among the stars and you hold the secrets of the Ancients in your blood. You have fought courageously among us, in our efforts to fight the war against the Wraith. Many see you as our savior, a revealed prophecy among my people for many generations."

For a moment, silence filled the air between them as they continued to dance.

"Careful. Your grip is quite tight against my back once again."

"Sorry."

He had been lost in his own thoughts after her revelation. It was very satisfying to see that she knew so much about him, but her tone was light, faintly amused when it should have been humble and admiring.  "You are a distinguished partner."

Once more he released the pressure of his hand against her back.

"I guess I don't know my own strength. I hope you don't think I'm being too forward."

He gave her one of his charming smiles that always drove women crazy.

For the first time she laughed. "I will not tell you what I am thinking. I do not think it proper."

Her laughter continued, and it was the loveliest sound he had ever heard. It made her smooth throat tremble and brought gleams into her eyes.

"Why is it not proper?" Gently, he twirled her again.

"Because I do not know you or your kind well enough, Lieutenant." She shaded.

There it was again, that mocking, that impudent little grin of hers that drove him nuts.

"Well, then, we'll just, uh, we'll have to get to know each other. Me, um, I like, Ferris Wheels and, uh, college football; anything that goes more than two hundred miles per hour."

She smiled. "Each morning before dawn my people drink a stout tea to brace us for the coming day. Will you join us?"

"I love a good cup of tea. Now there's another thing you know about me." He twirled her again, this time so that he could meet the eyes of his friends. Coquettishly, he nodded in victory. "See, we're practically friends already."

Their eyes met once again and this time, very deliberately, he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist bringing her even closer against him. And he was very pleased when she shone of her pleasure and a heavy gasp escaped from her lips.

Suddenly, the music stopped and she disentangled herself from his grasp.

"When we know each other better," she said, "we will tell each other what we think and we will trust one another like no other."

"I trusted you the minute you let me dance with you. So, it's a done deal for me." He stepped forward and gesture his hand for another dance.

"I am sorry Lieutenant Sheppard." Her eyes left his for a minute as she gaze at another. " I am afraid I have promised the next dance to Carson."

A gush of jealousy swept through him. He wanted to snatch her and fling her away with him, rapture in his arms. How did she dare to promise dances to other, and to Carson of all people? Didn't she know he'd been waiting, waiting three days for the joy of holding her in his arms?

"The next one, then." He asked. The pleading note in his voice infuriated him. He was begging, that's what he was doing, begging this alien goddess for a dance..."Unless you've already promised it to someone else, that is," he added, looking at her with undisguised malevolence.

"I have actually," she said, glancing at another from across the room. "But I could give you the one after that." She looked at him with exasperating blandness. "Would you like me to reserve it for you?"

He felt his hands clench into fists. Yes, damnit, yes! And all the other dances, all of them. And you're lucky that there are so many people around and that your father is watching us or I'd take you in my arms and---

"Lieutenant Sheppard?" she asked, offering him the softness of those piercing eyes of her.

"Yes." He replied two both questions at once.

"Teyla, our dance," said a young handsome man in his mid-twenties around the same age as John, slipping his arms around her waist.

"Kanaan, our dance is the next one. Carson is the one I dance with now." Politely, she moved around the man and soon Carson materialized in front of her.

"Shall we dance, luv?" The Scottish-wannabe-doctor had something that the ladies just couldn't resist.

John watched as Carson stole her away from him. Next to him, John gazed uncomfortably at Kanaan and the man soon left him alone.

And so he danced the next two dances with freckled-faced girls whose names he did not remember. Once again he was asked about how he liked the Pegasus and he dutifully replied that he liked it very much although he didn't really care for the life-sucking monsters.

But all the while his eyes searched Teyla among the whirling couples and feeling miserable each time he caught a glimpse of her, babbling and laughing in someone else's arms.

"You're certainly enjoying yourself," he remarked dryly as they were dancing together again.

"I am. I love to dance and we have so few opportunities in Athos."

"You're certainly making the most of it."

She gave him that look of teasing innocence that infuriated him. "Shouldn't I?"

"Of course, I just thought you'd like the way I dance better than those guys. After all, I don't think they were squeezing you as tight as I was. Were they?"

And there was that smile again.

"I have been a dancer all my life, training in the ways of my people. As future leader, I must also train in the arts of combat. I have discovered in my teachings and meditations that a fight between two warriors is merely an aggressive expression and a different form of dance. So, you see, I must dance with all of those who would be willing to ask me for it is both enjoyable and a learning experience. Each fighter shares his passion in a most unique form. It tells me most of what I need to know of my opponent." She paused and gaze into his eyes and he could feel her reading his soul. "And if you must know, the others have held me close, though I find none quite master their hold on me as you do, Lieutenant Sheppard."

"You can call me, John." He whispered in her ear.

"Very well, John. You may call me Teyla."

They stared into each other's eyes lost in the moment.

"How about a tour of Atlantis?" He asked hoping she'd agreed.

At first, he could see the surprise in her expression at his sudden question, "It would be most interesting to see the city of the Ancestors, but I thought you needed certain security clearance to enter the city?"

"You do, and I just gave it to you."

"Will you not be at risk yourself for this?"

Her sincere concern made him smile, "Nope."

"Your superiors do not object to this?"

He leaned closer and whispered, "I want to see you again. I don't care for my superiors."

"I do." She said defiantly. "Perhaps we should fine another place to meet."

"Tomorrow night?"

The look of surprise in her face was almost comical. "That is a little too soon, John. It is not proper. Remember, this is not Atlantis. How about three sunsets from now."

"Three days?" The words came out in a wail of protest. "I don't know if I'll still be here. I could be sent back to Earth any day now."

"I know that, John." Her sadness evident in her face. "But I cannot be seen with you so soon after we've just met. My father will not allow it."

"Fine, then three nights it is," he entreated, "by the Stargate."

A new softness, almost tenderness, came to her eyes. "Alright, three nights from today after the three turns of the sun sets I will meet you by the Stargate."

Suddenly, the music stopped and the dance came to an end.

"Here," he put his hands in his pocket and removed an object, "In case you get lost, I'll be able to find you."

It was a simple necklace. In reality, it was a transmitter. He had found it in a cave and had Rodney, his nerdy-scientist-wannabe-friend, inspect it. Turns out that the city could detect its transmission and others were been made as a result of that one to give out to all out-going units assigned in Atlantis. With a simple scanning device, anyone wearing that tracking device could be easily detected.

Gently, he stepped closer, her eyes intent on him the entire time. He set the necklace around the back of her neck and slowly, his fingers lingered around her neck, down her chest and ultimately, and to his disappointment, out of her reach.

After that, they each went their separate ways never to speak again with each other for the remainder of the dance.

That night, he went to his quarters quietly in a confused state of mind and not too pleased with himself. He made several strategic mistakes. Teyla was no ordinary woman. He knew he couldn't charm her like he did other woman. She was different, exotic, smart, never mind beautiful and a future leader among her people. And he had made of fool of himself tonight in front of her. Instead of being cool and charming he had betrayed his longing and behaved like a jealous boyfriend. Now, all the things he should have said and done came vividly to mind. _Crap._..why did everything have to come too late for him? Why did he never see things coming? Oh, the hell with it. He was never good at this sort of thing.

He's used to women luring him, not the other way around. But man did he want to lure Teyla into his life.

His room was dark except for the pale luminescent lights of Atlantis emitting outside his window. He removed his military suit. Damn, was that thing uncomfortable, but women always loved men in their military blues. Never failed. But Teyla...she was immune to it.

Leaning on the windowsill he gazed at the star-sequenced sky. It really didn't look any different than the night sky back home, back on Earth. And yet, he was in another galaxy altogether.

He could almost feel Teyla's swaying body, see her deep brown eyes, embedded like two glowing ambers in the pure oval of her face, the gleaming whiteness of her teeth through the oblong arch of her parted lips. He was blindly falling in love with her. That's all there is to it. And now that he had found her he couldn't imagine living without her.

Oh, yes there would be obstacles and problems. He could already smell Rodney's lemon-breath spewing his stupid comments, see Elizabeth's hopeless face, hear Carson's Scottish laughter, and feel Ronon's super-sized hug.

They were different as different as could be; A cloak and dagger duo. He, the cloak, the military man born to lead and follow the raptures of danger, having learned to hide well his feelings, and his identity to remain hidden from view. She, the dagger; an ethereal beauty, wise warrior, a princess destined to lead her people, bound by rituals, promises, and a lifetime of commitment to her father. A silent hidden treasure that is both rare and deadly. Would they get along and would they understand each other? He could already feel his answer. He loved her and now all he had to do was to make her a part of his life, so she could fall in love with him....

~fin


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